There's been a lot of discussion about UNC football this year because of Bill Belichick and, naturally, there have been a few haters. We're not going to name any names, but we see you Finebaum!
Colin Cowherd and Joel Klatt, however, are not hating on the Tar Heels at all. As a matter of fact, it's safe to say both analysts are a little bullish on what UNC can do this season.
Are the Tar Heels going to surprise people under Bill Belichick? @colincowherd @joelklatt pic.twitter.com/0v8OE85u3h
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 5, 2025
One particular exchange stood out
Cowherd: "Oh my...not daunting? I mean he they just keep turnovers low they should coast to nine wins!"
Klatt: "The schedule is not daunting."
Cowherd: "Oh my...not daunting? I mean, if they just keep turnovers low they should coast to nine wins!"
Nine wins sounds great. That's probably a top 20 ranking and MAYBE a shot at playing for an ACC championship. Who isn't taking that in year one of the Belichick era? But let's look at the schedule and the areas where the Tar Heels should be able to succeed.
Does UNC have nine wins on this schedule? Maybe
The Labor Day opener against TCU is going to be tough. The Horned Frogs are always a tough out and there's going to be a lot of media and a bit of a circus atmosphere for Belichick's college coaching debut. It's hard to expect a win here.
UNC should be heavily favored against Charlotte in a short week and FCS opponent Richmond. The first road game is against UCF. Personally, I think the Knights are going to struggle in year one of the Scott Frost 2.0 era, so I like the Heels to win this and be 3-1 for September.
The next six games are Clemson, at California, Virginia, at Syracuse, Stanford and at Wake Forest. The Tar Heels should dispatch Cal and Stanford and probably lose to Clemson. The other three games are toss-ups and if UNC can hold serve at home and steal one on the road in Winston-Salem, that's a 7-3 record.
Duke and N.C. State are also toss-ups, but if the Tar Heels are 7-3 at this point, they are probably playing good football, limiting turnovers, and they have survived the injury bug. That puts nine wins in play. And if UNC can beat both rivals, does 9-3 (6-2) get the Tar Heels in the ACC championship game?
Obviously, we're beingVERY optimistic here, and many things will have to go right for the Tar Heels to reach nine wins.
But it's possible.